The Copper Tarnish – Updated Cover

Hello Readers,

Last weekend I asked the incomparable Talhí Briones to comment on the cover I had designed. She didn’t hold back and reminded me of things like balance and the rule of thirds.

It led me to redesign the cover. I think the changes, although minor, make it a much stronger cover.

What do you think?

Pre-orders for the book will be coming soon.


If you want a book that you can pre-order now, check out Talhí’s Mrs. Victoria Buys a Brothel.

1865, United States— It took thirty years and a dislocated arm for Victoria to leave her abusive husband. Heartbroken, she has to choose her own life over the hope of ever seeing her son again. She escapes the manor in the dead of night, only bringing with her a white wedding dress.

She ends up in Swainsburg, a minuscule town in Wyoming, where she’s adopted by the local prostitutes. To save them from expulsion, she buys the building and learns that in these parts, entertainment is worth more than gold. It’s almost easy, even fun, to organize piano recitals and cancan shows for the cowboys of the area, but being a Madam comes with responsibilities and dangers she isn’t ready to face. Her husband, after all, has contacts everywhere.

It’s hard to navigate the delicate tensions between respectable ladies and whores, between white society and the ‘others.’ Her new friends are women who carved their place in this merciless life; people who, like her, ended up in Swainsburg when they got tired of running.

Victoria doesn’t notice, can’t even imagine the possibility; but she falls in love. The townfolk say the widow Díaz is strange, but Natane is actually incredibly awkward, kind, and very lonely. Victoria has no name for this burning friendship, but the feeling grows and demands to be acknowledged.

This is a story about women who age, gossip, drink, love… and help you hide the body of your dead husband.

Launch: May 20th, 2025

Here are some places you can order the book:

You can also ask for it at any local bookstore or library 🙂

Thank you,

Éric

Thank you Mercury Stardust

Hello fellow humans,

This morning I woke up to a MASSIVE puddle in front of the fridge. I started to panic but then I remembered that Jen gave me a book on home repair for Christmas.

In big bold letters on the back are written, “Don’t Panic – I’m here to help!

Honestly, if it was just for those words, the book would be worth it, but inside there were details on fridge cleaning and maintenance. Which helped me find the largest dust bunnies I’ve ever seen. I also found an ice wall that John Snow would be proud of. Hopefully cleaning those out will fix the issue.

Did you know that over-filling your fridge or freezer could cause issues? I didn’t before I read this book.

Mercury Stardust’s book is a must for renters! (and useful for those of us homeowners that have no idea what they’re doing)

She also has a wonderful podcast and extremely entertaining TikTok. You can find the book in all the places you buy books.

Find everything you want to know on her website.

Stay safe and be kind,

Éric

Winging It Google Search

If you were to search “Winging It” in Google, this is what might show up…

Not really, but these are related to the book!

Looking for a new read? “Winging It Jen Desmarais” in the search bar reveal the following six results: “young adult romance”, “shared hidden magical worlds”, “portal fantasy”, “music, STEM, and fight training”, “queer and diverse rep”, and “teenage shenanigans”. Under that and the cover in ebook form reads: “How good does this look? Get it here: jeneric-designs.ca/UBL-WingingIt
Winging It by Jen Desmarais is available June 3rd, 2025!
Cover Art by Pinkpiggy93
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Spy Kids: Armageddon – JenEric Movie Review

How This Works – Read Other Reviews

Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2023 film Spy Kids: Armageddon.

Story

I can’t stand stories that require parents to be stupid and incompetent. On top of that, the story is a watered-down remake of the original. Don’t get me started on the weird magical computer stuff.

Score: 0

Characters

The kids were fantastic actors and did a great job with what they were given. The parents were terrible at everything including being likeable. The main villain was interesting but his story arc felt too fast and shoehorned in.

The spy organization was even more of a joke than usual.

Score: 0.5

Dialogue

It’s hard to believe this was the same writer who wrote, “Do you think God stays in Heaven because He too lives in fear of what He’s created”.

The dialogue is saccharine and bland.

Score: 0

Visuals and Music

Once again, the movie relies on special effects and videogame tropes instead of good action or locations. It makes the movie look cheap and dated even only two years later.

The music was acceptable but not great.

Score: 0.5

Fun

The kids liked it but all the adults were unimpressed. I find that the weird fun of the first one never translated the the rest of the series and it’s worse for lack of it.

Score: 0

Overall

This movie could have been a tumblr meme screenshotted to Facebook. It’s a self-indulgent remake of a much better movie. The only thing that shines is the optimism and the kids.

Final Score: 1 Stars out of 5

The Summer of ‘99 and How I Died – Proof of Concept

Hello Friends, Family, and Fans;

Sometimes a story idea comes and bites me and refuses to leave. That happened to me last night. 

On a discord that I’m in, we were talking about “Own Voice” stories, and I realized that I’ve never written a character who was like me. Parts of me are in all my characters, obviously, but I’ve never written about me.

I was listening to the X-Ambassadors’s album Townie and thinking about Stand by Me and came up with this concept. I needed to get it out so I wrote a proof of concept. These sometimes turn into novels and sometimes get forgotten. Who knows, we’ll see what happens.

I’ve also been interested in writing a subtler magic, almost magical realism but without the stereotypical pompousness. 

I’m calling it:

The Summer of ‘99 and How I Died

There’s no such things as ghosts, lake monsters, wild dinosaurs, or aliens. They certainly do not live in Northern Ontario. None of this is true. I made it all up thirty years later while listening to sad music and wondering what could have been.

I turned sixteen in the summer of 1999, and it was filled with magic and horror. Not the kind I’ve read in books or seen in movies. It wasn’t flashy but it was beautiful and sad.

The first day of summer break was hot and sticky in a way that was rare in Val Perdu. We got heat, but normally it was dry, like being stuck in an oven. That day, a storm was threatening the horizon but the sun refused to move out. The clouds passed north and south, not blemishing the heat or light of summer.

Being the quintessential nerd, I was in my living room practicing the saxophone, trying to transcribe a song about the devil stealing partiers from the woods. “Au bal des bois” by Deux Saisons is still one of my favourite songs and reminds me of those days.

I had managed to honk out a good portion of the song, I wasn’t that good, when there was a knock at the door. I expected it  to be a neighbour or someone coming to say hi to my mom. 

“Yo man, wanna come to the beach?” Ethan was tall, thin, with shaggy black hair and pockmarked skin. He made up for his lack of charisma with his determination and genuine excitement about life. Having a license and a car didn’t hurt.

Standing next to him was his girlfriend Sarah. She was short, petite, with curly brown hair, an easy smile, and a sadness that I never understood.

The two of them were already in bathing suits and staring at me expectantly. I had plans that day, self-decided plans that were easily moved but I had made up my mind. I discovered a long time after that I was autistic and changing plans wasn’t something I enjoyed.

Standing there, my messy blond hair standing on edge, my Rush concert tee filled with holes, and in an old pair of shorts; I panicked. I wasn’t cool. I was expecting to spend the summer reading, playing video games and hanging out with my mom. That sounded lovely, but here were people who genuinely wanted to hang out with me. I didn’t know why but I rarely understand why people do things. Especially in the moment. I half expected it to be some sort of prank, which unfortunately had plenty of precedent.

My choice that day changed my life and I sometimes wish I’d said no. 

“Uh… Sure. Let me get changed and I’ll be right out.” I closed the door on them and went to my mom who was playing Asheron’s Call, an early online roleplaying game. 

“Ethan invited me to go to the beach, is that okay?” I asked. I wanted her to turn and look at me. Say no, or ask who else was going to be there. I wanted her to be protective. 

“Sure. Bring some water and put on sunscreen.” She said it without looking up. 

I changed in my room, putting on my bathing suit. It was a little tight. I wondered if I could get away with swimming in a tee or if that would just bring more attention to me. I wasn’t fat but I didn’t know that. I was convinced my little belly was huge and that I was hideous. 

My mom had struggled with her weight her whole life and had criticized herself so much that I internalized it. She never once said anything about my weight except when I came back from university after having a norovirus and had lost thirty pounds. Then she worried about me.

I put on a tee, grabbed a towel, sunscreen, and a bottle of water. “I love you mom!” I shouted as I left.

“I love you too. Have a good time and be safe!” she shouted back. 

Outside smelled like wet dirt and sweat. Not even the wind cooled me down, and I instantly started sweating from my head and back.

My friends were waiting in the car, an old, beat up Toyota that must have been blue once upon a time but was closer to grey now. All the windows were open and I could see Ethan and Sarah making out. It looked awkward and made me feel strange. I was sixteen and three years away from realizing I was bisexual; give me a break. I thought everyone but me was attractive at the time.

I folded myself into the back seat on the driver’s side and had to sit sideways because Ethan was tall and the car wasn’t that big. 

“Hi,” said a soft voice. It was Vero. She was beautiful, or at least I could only see her beauty. She was kind of my girlfriend but we’d never said the words out loud. We’d spent a lot of time kissing though. She was a little taller than me and she’d dyed her shoulder length hair red with blonde streaks. She was wearing a loose shirt over her bright green bikini.

“Hi,” I said, my face feeling stretched from the goofy smile I was giving her. “I didn’t know you were coming.”

“How could I pass up the chance to go to the beach and watch these two fence with their tongues all day?.”

“At least they’re having fun,” I said.

“Hey, I offered you the chance to join in,” Ethan said from the corner of his mouth.

“Ew. No!” Vero replied but she was smiling. I was fairly certain they were joking around but at the same time I felt a little jealous. Ethan had a girlfriend and he knew how I felt about Vero. I’ve always had a hard time knowing when someone was joking or serious, especially when it’s about romance.

We didn’t say anything for a few really awkward moments. Finally I broke down and said, “It’s really hot out here. Can we get going?”

We drove down Val Perdu’s main street, passing the corner store, and the Cco-op, which was a grocery store and hardware store combined.

A few more houses and we were between the main town and the east side of town that was on the trans-canada highway. The Eeast side had a bunch of houses, a motel,  and a small gas station.

Then we were on the way to the beach. A massive five- minute drive on gravel roads. The dried dust stung our eyes but closing the windows would be broiling. We’d be there soon, and everything would change when I almost drowned and found that egg. 

To be continued… maybe

Éric

Introducing Secondary Characters

In case you weren’t aware, Winging It starts out during a wedding (which is fully portrayed in Monsters! Incidental Wedding Guests) and then the main characters go to Everdome. This book has a humungous cast of characters, and I thought it might be helpful to highlight a few of the secondary characters in both Westmeath and Everdome.

You can find a lot of the important characters from the first half of the book in the Monsters! Dream Casting: Main, Family, Other. Here are some of the missing ones:

Margery Door

Appearance inspired by Reba McEntire

Age: 78

Date of Birth: September 19, 1924

Appearance: Curly red hair with white streaks, brown eyes, mysterious, white

Job: original CEO of Door Technology, now mostly retired, but runs their summer camp

Family: daughter Ellen, 11 other children not mentioned in this book

Todd

Appearance inspired by William Zabka

Age: mid-50s

Appearance: Blondish-brown hair, grey eyes, boy-next-door-grown-up, block-party-Dad, white

Job: anything and everything

Dome: Gaulan

Es’Sem

Appearance inspired by Jessica De Gouw *Note that this character is inspired by a friend, but I couldn’t use her image here!

Age: unknown

Date of Birth: unknown

Appearance: Light brown hair with sun-dyed blond streaks, hazel eyes, extremely physically fit, mysterious, white

Job: training the Queen’s Guard

Dome: Wild Nations

Winging It by Jen Desmarais is available June 3rd, 2025!
Cover Art by Pinkpiggy93
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Please note that Kindle links will be working on May 4! (Barring unforeseen circumstances!)

The Mask of Zorro – JenEric Movie Review

How This Works – Read Other Reviews

Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 1998 film The Mask of Zorro.

Story

The story and myth of Zorro is based on the “Fox” archetype. (Robin Hood, Reynard the Fox, or The Scarlet Pimpernel) I like the addition of the apprentice and especially the nod to Joaquin Murrieta. It’s an extremely good example of how to adapt a story.

Score: 1

Characters

Each character was perfectly written. The only part I had issue believing was Antonio Banderas needing help on how to be charming. The villains were nuanced enough to be realistic but evil enough to deserve their fate. The parallel stories and character development between the older and younger characters was excellent.

Catherine Zeta-Jones manages to balance damsel and kick-ass in an extremely believable way.

Score: 1

Dialogue

I’d give full points for, “So the devil will know who sent you.” alone. The rest of the dialogue balanced heroics, humour, drama, and romance in a perfectly believable way.

Score: !

Visuals and Music

This film, thankfully, came out before shaky-cam. The fights are wonderfully choreographed and the practical effects have aged fantastically.

The music is equal to any modern superhero and really amps up the emotion.

Score: 1

Fun

Swashbuckling, explosions, witty one liners, and at its core a big heart. I’m sounding old but this kind of movie isn’t made anymore and that makes me sad. The whole family loved it.

Score: 1

Overall

One of the best adventure / swashbuckling movies. The emotion and character drama anchor the action and heroics, making everything feel so much more. Modern superhero movies could learn a lot from this movie.

Final Score: 5 Stars out of 5*


*A 5 star review doesn’t mean the movie was perfect nor that it is perfect for everyone but it is a movie I believe is as close to perfect as possible.